A tanker linked to an Israel-affiliated company was seized off Yemen on Sunday by armed individuals, US defence officials said, but the crew members were later brought to safety.

“There are indications that an unknown number of unidentified armed individuals seized the M/V Central Park in the Gulf of Aden Nov 26,” a US defence official told AFP.

The maritime security firm Ambrey said that “US naval forces are engaged in the situation” after the incident involving the Central Park, which is owned and managed by a UK-based, Israel-linked company.

Hours later, another US defence official told AFP that US and coalition forces responded to the emergency aboard the tanker and “the crew of the M/V Central Park is currently safe”. It was not immediately clear if the crew remained aboard the vessel or the ship’s location.

Owner Zodiac Maritime said that among the 22 crew were Russian, Vietnamese, Bulgarian, Indian, Georgian and Filipino nationals, as well as a Turkish captain, according to Ambrey.